Carpenters
measure, saw, level and nail wood and other building materials. They install
tile and insulation, acoustical ceilings, cabinets, siding and much more. They
work with many tools and materials to build houses, erect skyscrapers, and
construct bridges, tunnels and highways
Carpenters
make up the largest single group of skilled workers in the country. To be a
carpenter is to be a member of one of the oldest and most respected trades.
You can build a lifetime career in carpentry if you like working with tools
and building. Hammer out a well-built future with training in carpentry.
What Drywall Finishers Do
Drywall
finishing is a specialty trade that transforms unfinished drywall panels into a
more functional or aesthetic form through the innovative use of automatic,
mechanical, and hand finishing tools. Finishing also includes the skills used to
apply various compounds and trims (beads). A Finisher is a highly valued
craftsman that plays an essential role in achieving the desired final appearance
or functional requirements that are expressed in the building plans. When
mastered, the art of drywall finishing ensures the proper combination of safety,
tools, materials, knowledge and techniques needed to dramatically impact the
overall quality of nearly every construction project throughout the industry. If
you have an outstanding attention to detail and like working with your hands,
you may want to pursue a career in the Drywall finishing trade.
If
you like to work with machine tools and precision instruments, and have a keen
eye for the perfect fit, you might consider becoming a millwright. In the old days, before heavy metal machinery, millwrights carved out
gears and shafts from wood for mills and small industrial plants. Millwrights
sometimes work to specifications requiring tolerances to a thousandth of an
inch. The millwright installs and aligns heavy industrial machines so they
operate efficiently. He or she employs micrometers, electronic sensors and
other precision tools to install machinery and connect power unit shafts to
operating equipment.
Millwrights install conveyor and monorail systems, electric generators and
turbines, even nuclear plants. A nuclear plant is huge, but millwrights are
required to align its working units to specifications similar to those in fine
watch making. They are knowledgeable construction mechanics who study and
interpret blueprints and apply their expertise drilling, tapping, welding, and
bolting, working primarily with machinery and equipment requiring precision.
The installation of fine carpeting, composition materials, and polymer or plastic components is the work of the resilient floor coverer. Apprenticeship training in this particular skilled trade is offered at
the Detroit Training Center.
Those selecting this trade learn to scribe, cut, fit, lay out and seam tile and sheet goods in a variety of patterns under many different conditions. Installations of hard wood flooring and diverse types of underlayment insure smooth, level surfaces for a finished floor. They also learn binding, cutting, sewing, taping, cementing, and laying carpet as well as how to read blue prints and draw plans. Floor coverers' apprentices will learn how to accurately estimate the yardage required for a flooring job. Almost all of their work is done indoors, with perhaps the exception of the installation of indoor/outdoor carpets. This operation may require possible outdoor work on commercial, institutional or residential properties.
Union
members earn the best wages and benefits in the industry. In addition to an
attractive take-home salary, Union members enjoy health insurance and pension
benefits that provide you and your family with the kind of security you deserve.
Apprentices
start at 50% - 65% of journeyman's scale, and earn more money every
year. You can earn over $130,000.00 during the course of your apprenticeship
training!
Lansing
Area Pay Scale (Pay
scales vary by area)
2006
Contract
|
Apprentice
Scale
|
1styear
60%
|
2ndyear
70%
|
3rdyear
80%
|
4th year
85%
|
Journeyman
Scale
|
Total
Package
|
|
Carpenter
|
15.35
|
17.91 |
20.46 |
21.74 |
25.58 |
36.41 |
|
Western/Northern
Pay Scale
|
|
|
Apprentice
Scale
|
1st
year 65%
|
2ndyear
75%
|
3rdyear
85%
|
4thyear
95%
|
Journeyman
Scale
|
Total
Package
|
|
Millwright
|
15.59
|
18.04 |
20.48 |
22.93 |
24.45 |
38.61 |
Local Union 1510 (Upper Peninsula)
|
Apprentice
Scale
|
1styear
60%
|
2ndyear
70%
|
3rdyear
80%
|
4th year
90%
|
Journeyman
Scale
|
Total
Package
|
|
Carpenter
|
15.61
|
18.21 |
20.82 |
22.12 |
26.02 |
35.60 |
Real
Apprenticeship
Real
apprenticeship
means on-the-job training, as well as related classroom instruction.
Real
apprenticeship
means scheduled, graduated pay increases.
Real
apprenticeship
means, whatever your current apprentice wage classification, you earn the same amount of
money whichever contractor you are working for.
Real
apprenticeship
puts you on a real career track, with health-care benefits and pension security.
Real
apprenticeship is certified by the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training, U.S.
Department of Labor.
Real
apprenticeship is jointly sponsored and administered by labor and
management.
Classes are held on a bi-weekly basis; apprentices
attend school one day every other week instead of going to the job site. A total
of 672 School hours, 5,200 - 8,000 work hours, and successful completion of 12
units of instruction are required for graduation from the program.
At the Marquette Training
Facility, apprentices attend school for one full week. This "Block Training"
allows students to train once every quarter, during which a complete unit of
study will be covered. Wage compensation may be given to individuals who left
work to attend training.
The
Michigan Carpenters
Apprenticeship & Training Fund
operates six
carpentry-training centers in the state. From Fennville to Mason, Saginaw to
Marquette, Grayling to Flint, wherever you live in the state there
is a carpenter-training center near you. Our
sister programs offer carpentry and millwright training in the Detroit and
southeastern Michigan area.
You have the chance to learn a trade that will provide
you with a lifetime of opportunities, and equip you with valuable skills that
can never be taken away. A
Journeyman’s Certificate from the United Brotherhood of Carpenters is
recognized as the standard of the construction industry.
And it doesn't have to end
there....
Graduate apprentices often go on to become foremen,
superintendents, project managers, estimators and company owners!
Just stop in at the Local
Union hall that is in your area and fill out an application. Upon
application, applicants will be informed of the next opportunity to take the
basic math proficiency test. Passage of this test is required for acceptance
into the program. Successful applicants will then be given a list of contractors
from whom to solicit sponsorship. Marquette applicants will receive
notifications regarding an interview time and location.
The direct
entry of an apprentice into the carpentry program is made from letters of
sponsorship signed, completed and dated by employers acceptable to the
committee. The selection is made on the basis of the letter of sponsorship and
qualifications without regard to race, creed, color, national origin, sex or
occupationally irrelevant physical requirements. This program shall be operated
on a completely nondiscriminatory basis in accordance with objective standards,
which permit review after full and fair opportunity for application.
Entrance
Requirements:
High school
diploma or equivalency
A Letter of Intent to hire from a Union contractor (this
does not apply to Marquette applicants)
Basic math skills
entrance test
(sample test)
A negative drug screen must be provided as an enrollment requirement
Advanced
Entry
If
you have had previous training or on the job experience we offer the option of
Advanced Entry. With written contractor approval, you may take an Evaluation
test to assess your skill level in each area of the trade. With this evaluation,
you can earn school credit towards the early completion of your training.
Challenge
If
you acquire skills on the job that may enable you to test through a particular
area, and you have written contractor approval, we offer you the opportunity to
test through that unit. If you are successful, you will receive school credit
towards the early completion of your training.
Union Addresses
|
Carpenters'
Local #100
140
N. 64th Ave.
Coopersville,
MI 49404
1-888-311-6245
|
Carpenters'
Local #706
6459
Pierson Rd
Flushing, MI 48433
1-810-487-1234
|
Carpenters'
Local #1004
3101
Allied Dr. Suite D
Jackson, MI 49201
1-517-787-5771
|
|
Carpenters'
Local #525
3617
Gembrit Circle
Kalamazoo,
MI 49001
1-800-655-3907
|
Carpenters'
Local #706
1400
W. Genesee Ave.
Saginaw, MI 48602
1-888-683-7706
|
Carpenters'
Local #1004
2310
W. Washtenaw St.
Lansing, MI 48917
1-888-502-1004
|
|
Carpenters'
Local #202
1300
W. Thomas
Bay City, MI 48706
1-989-686-8888
|
Carpenters'
Local #202
2410 Industrial Ave.
Grayling, MI
1-989-344-8031
|
Carpenters'
Local #1510
1219
1st Ave. South
Escanaba,
MI 49829
1-800-248-1134
|
|
Millwright
Local #1102
3617
Gembrit Circle
Kalamazoo, MI 49001
1-800-434-0049
|
Millwright
Local #1102
140
N. 64th Ave.
Coopersville,
MI 49404
1-800-405-1213
|
Carpenters'
Local #1510
1221
Division St.
Marquette,
MI 49855
1-906-225-2913
|
